Terms of Reference for GADRRRES Governance

1.  GADRRRES

2.  Context

3.  Background

• Following the 2005 World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, a UNISDR Thematic Platform on Knowledge and Education (TPKE) was established to promote knowledge and education for disaster risk reduction. Its focus was to strengthen networks, create new partnerships, identify gaps, identify focus areas and collectively advance the achievement of the Hyogo Framework goals through knowledge and education. Between 2006 and 2012, the TPKE, composed of relevant UN bodies, international NGOs and selected regional partners has made significant contributions to the conceptual development of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) education and knowledge.

• In 2012, the Comprehensive School Safety (CSS) Framework was introduced by the Asia Pacific Coalition for School Safety, as a multi-stakeholder framework to promote a broader approach to the realization of children’s rights in the education sector. In 2013, as the community of practice and global frameworks evolved, the TPKE became GADRRRES, adopting the CSS Framework as its common agenda. In 2015, the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools (WISS) was launched by UNDRR, using the CSS Framework (V1) as its foundation, with technical support from the members of GADRRRES.

• In 2016, in alignment with the 2015-2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, GADRRRES reviewed and updated its mission and objectives and made modest revisions to the CSS Framework (V2). 

• In 2020, in the face of growing understanding of climate, conflict, and COVID-19 risks – and their interconnectedness and compounding impacts – for children and learners globally, GADRRRES initiated the update of the CSS Framework with the aim to strengthen the collaboration and collective impact of humanitarian and development actors involved in child rights and education sector planning processes. The CSS Framework 2022-2030 (V3) was released in June 2022. 

• GADRRRES has been implementing a coordinated workplan, continuously sharpening working modalities for effective and collective impact for school safety.

4.  Vision and mission

• GADRRRES’ vision, consistent with the objectives of the CSS Framework is to ensure that education sector duty-bearers and their cross-sectoral partners are able: 
  • To protect learners, educators and staff from death, injury, violence and harm in schools and other learning spaces.
  • To plan for education and protection continuity, and limit disruptions to learning in the face of shocks, stresses, hazards and threats of all kinds.
  • To promote knowledge and skills of learners and duty-bearers, to contribute to risk reduction, resilience building, and sustainable development.

• GADRRRES’ mission is to strengthen global coordination, advocate for advancing school safety measures, and improve global information, resources and knowledge management on risk reduction and resilience education in support of the global agendas (e.g., Sustainable Development Goals, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, Education 2030).

• GADRRRES promotes a comprehensive ‘all hazards’ approach to risk reduction in the education sector, through policy, plans and programmes that are aligned cross-sectorally, at national, regional, district and community levels. GADRRRES promotes advancement and engagement based on the common foundation and three intersecting pillars of the CSS Framework , as follows:
  • Foundation – Enabling Policies and Systems: strengthen systems and policies to promote an enabling environment that will support resilience in the education sector.
  • Safer Learning Facilities: including safe site selection, safe access (functionality), safe construction and retrofit (global structural and local structural), safe maintenance, and non-structural safety.
  • School Safety and Educational Continuity Management: including ongoing school-based risk assessment and planning for risk reduction, response preparedness, and educational continuity.
  • Risk Reduction and Resilience Education: the integration of risk reduction and resilience into teaching and learning, including in formal school curricula and non-formal education.

5.  Objectives

• GADRRRES objectives are as follows, to:
  A. Strengthen global and regional coordination, capacity development, and collective impact for comprehensive school safety
  • Facilitate collaboration, maximize synergies and support coordination of the work of members of the Alliance and other stakeholders in research, practice, and policy.
  • Promote networking and partnership-building to facilitate the mainstreaming of comprehensive school safety into national education policies and sector plans.

  B. Advocate for comprehensive school safety 

  • Develop a common strategy for evidence-based advocacy on school safety.
  • Undertake high-level advocacy efforts to promote school safety at global and regional levels among the education, disaster management, and child protection sectors.

  C. Improve global knowledge management of information, resources, and evidence for comprehensive school safety

  • Facilitate the collection and dissemination of existing knowledge on safer school facilities, school safety & educational continuity management, and risk reduction and resilience education.
  • Provide normative guidance and promote peer review to elaborate evidence-based practice and promote practice-based evidence building for comprehensive school safety. 
  • Support development and dissemination of existing and new educational and training materials, guidelines, and standards at the global level.

6. Membership

• GADRRRES membership is defined as per three categories: Member, Regional Affiliate and Partner.
• GENERAL MEMBERSHIP is open to UN agencies/international organizations, international non-governmental organizations, donors, global funds and networks, with a strong global mandate in child rights, risk reduction and/or education.
• Criteria for General Membership:
  • The organization has a strong mandate in children’s rights, risk reduction and/or education, and contributes to improving knowledge and practice in risk reduction and resilience in the education sector.
  • The organisation has an international mandate and outreach.
  • The organisation has the capacity and commitment to ensure active participation in the Alliance.
• General Members commit to the following:
• Nominate a focal point and alternate/back-up representative.
• Support the implementation of GADRRRES Strategy and advocate for Comprehensive School Safety (CSS) through the promotion of the Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF) 2022-2030.
• Participate actively in at least one of the GADRRRES Working Groups and Technical Reference Groups.
• Share expertise and technical materials in a collaborative manner.
• Provide human, technical and/or financial support including but not limited to:
• 1 day per month of one focal point or alternate/back-up representative; bi-annual calls including an annual face-to-face meeting.
• In-kind contributions, such as staff time, technical expertise, hosting meetings, website development and maintenance, and other costs to support the coordination of the Alliance and its workplan.
• Joint resource mobilization to advance the GADRRRES strategy and workplan.
• REGIONAL AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP is open to similarly constituted multi-stakeholder alliances organized at a regional level.
  

• Criteria for Regional Affiliate Membership:

• Regional Affiliates organise themselves independently, in support of the vision, mission, and objectives of GADRRRES, at a regional and/or sub-regional level.

• Regional Affiliates commit to the following:
  • Nominate co-leads from two member organisations.
  • Participate in GADRRRES Steering Committee and GADRRRES full membership meetings.
  • Share their workplans.
  • Maintain collaboration and communication.
• PARTNERS, may include donors, global funds, private sector organisations, academic institutions, networks, and others which endorse the CSSF 2022-2030, support the aims of GADRRRES, and are willing to provide material, in-kind and/or strategic support, but do not meet the criteria for membership. Like members, the core commitment of partners is to advocate for Comprehensive School Safety (CSS) through support to the implementation of the CSSF 2022-2030.

• Interested organizations are invited to apply for membership to the Chair/Secretariat using the GADRRRES Membership Application Form.

7. Chair, Co–chair, Secretariat, and Steering Committee

• The GADRRRES Chair serves as the convener of the Alliance, acts as the formal representative of the group and oversees internal and external communication, supervising Secretariat staff support, and maintaining the documents of the Alliance for a period of 2 years.
• The GADRRRES Co-Chair serves for a term of 2 years in a supporting role to the Chair, and then commits to becoming the Chair for the subsequent 2- years.
• The Chair and Co-Chairs are selected from members of the Steering Committee by an open nomination process. There are no prohibitions on organizations holding multiple tenures, though diverse representation is encouraged. Current and previous Chairs are:
  • January 2013 – December 2015 UNESCO chair, UNICEF co-chair
  • January 2016 – December 2017 UNICEF chair, UNESCO co-chair
  • January 2018 – October 2020 UNESCO chair, UNICEF co-chair
  • October 2020 – October 2022 UNICEF chair, UNESCO co-chair
  • October 2022 – October 2024 UNESCO chair, UNICEF co-chair

• The Secretariat ideally includes at least one full-time staff Coordinator, whose role is to support the effective coordination of the Steering Committee, the Working Groups and the Technical Reference Groups. The Secretariat staff supports the GADRRRES Chair, Steering Committee, Working Group co-leads and Technical Reference Groups co-leads in pursuing the following set of activities:
  • • Coordination: Including maintaining ongoing mailing lists of GADRRRES bodies; screening membership applications and submitting them to the Steering Committee; leading tracking, and reporting on GADRRRES 2023-2025 Strategy and related work plan implementation; supporting GADRRRES working groups, technical reference groups and regional affiliates; facilitating quarterly Steering Committee / full membership calls; supporting bi-annual face-to-face meeting; leading induction process with new GADRRRES members/focal points; developing, revising and guiding adherence to core GADRRRES documents; supporting resource mobilisation; maintaining calendar of global events; submitting applications for GADRRRES-led sessions and side-events, etc.
    • Knowledge and information management: Including organizing and maintaining GADRRRES shared documents and tools for collective access; supporting development and implementation of a collaborative knowledge management strategy using Google Docs, GADRRRES, INEE, PreventionWeb, YouTube and other websites for document-sharing and publication dissemination; maintaining GADRRRES subscriptions and accounts; supporting development of organisational capacity to plan and deliver online webinars, support development of systems to monitor and translation process of the CSSF 2022-2030; developing and contributing to presentations, and capacity-development tools, etc.
    • Monitoring and reporting: Including maintaining ongoing documentation of GADRRRES and GADRRRES members’ achievements; developing an annual report, etc.
    • Communication: Including compiling and disseminating internal and external quarterly newsletters; contributing to content and maintenance of GADRRRES website; supporting advocacy strategy social media plan, including producing tweet cards, editing short videos and similar communications tools; oversight of the Safe Children Safe Schools global community-of-practice listserv.
• The Steering Committee is composed of the Chair, Co-chair, and the organizational focal points who accept the role of Working Group and Technical Reference Group co-leads as well as the Regional Affiliate representatives. The Steering Committee’s role is to provide leadership to the Alliance by serving as a management structure, engaging in decision making, identifying leadership for Working Groups and Technical Reference Groups, managing and monitoring the workplan, and identifying resource needs and gaps.
• The Steering Committee holds quarterly face-to-face and/or virtual meetings.
• The Steering Committee is responsible for the selection of the Chair and Co-Chair (by nomination and vote) and Secretariat (based on published Terms of Reference, interview and selection committee). The Steering Committee sets the agenda for the GADRRRES full membership bi-annual meetings.

8. Working Groups, Technical Reference Groups, Ad Hoc Committees and Regional Affiliates

• GADRRRES divides its work across ongoing Working Groups, Technical Reference Groups, Regional Affiliates, and Ad Hoc Committees.
• The Working Groups are organized to support GADRRRES’s 3 strategic objectives:
  • WG I: Strengthen Global Coordination, Capacity Development, and Collective Impact
  • WG II: Advocate for Comprehensive School Safety
  • WG III: Knowledge Management and Evidence

  Each Working Group is co-led by two GADRRRES member organisations. Organisations designate a co-lead and back-up to fulfil these roles.

• Working Groups Co-Leads: Each Working Groups is co-led by two GADRRRES member organisations. Organisations designate a co-lead and back-up to fulfil these roles.
• The Working Group Co-Leads are responsible for:
  • eading the articulation of the Working Group’s work plan tasks and priorities
  • Recruiting needed support from organisations and individuals to lead and support Task Teams
  • Monitoring Task Teams for progress and completion of their work
  • Updating the work plan on a quarterly basis
  • Assuring representation of their Working Group in each Steering Committee meeting
  • Representing their Working Group in the GADRRRES full membership meetings
  • Calling for and leading such meetings as are necessary to progress the Working Group’s work plan
• Working Groups may divide their work plan across Task Teams. Each Task Team is expected to have participation from at least two GADRRRES member organisations, and may be led by any individual designated by the Working Group co-leads. GADRRRES members are expected to support the Task Teams in mobilising needed technical and financial resources for the effective implementation of the work plan as needed.

  Task Teams may recruit support both from GADRRRES member organisations as well as the wider group of the Safe Children Safe Schools global community of practice, as needed.

• The Technical Reference Groups are aligned with the three Pillars of the CSS Framework:
  • Technical Reference Group 1 – Pillar 1: Safer Learning Facilities
  • Technical Reference Group 2 – Pillar 2: School Safety and Educational Continuity Management
  • Technical Reference Group 3 – Pillar 3: Risk Reduction and Resilience Education

  Each Technical reference group is co-led by two GADRRRES members.

• The Technical Reference Group Co-Leads are expected to:
  • Advise and consult on specific GADRRRES activities
  • Assure representation of their Technical Reference Group in each Steering Committee meeting
  • Represent their Technical Reference Group in the GADRRRES full membership meetings
  • Call for and leading bi-annual meetings or as necessary

Technical Reference Groups meetings/communication threads can be occasions for members to share their current activities and identify working collaborations.

• There may also be Ad Hoc Working Groups set up, from time to time, as may be necessary, with agreement from the Steering Committee or Secretariat Chair.

• The Steering Committee itself serves as the technical reference group as needed for the Enabling Systems and Policies for Comprehensive School Safety.

• The Regional Affiliates work with three or more countries in the region and respond to the needs of the sub-regional groups / countries for technical support, capacity development, regular communications, engagement in advocacy efforts. They participate in quarterly Steering Committee meetings and full membership meetings.

• Current Regional Affiliates are:
  • Regional Education Group for Latin America and the Caribbean (GRE-LAC)
  • Asia Pacific Coalition for School Safety (APCSS)

Additional Regional Affiliates may be constituted and accepted by the Steering Committee.

9.  Full GADRRRES Meetings

• Full GADRRRES membership meetings are held twice per year including, if possible, one face-to-face meeting (ideally, in conjunction with a major international meeting such as World Conference for DRR, UNDRR Global Platform, and others). These are intended to report on and revise the work plan, collaborate on priority initiatives.
• Ad-hoc meetings may be organized on an exceptional basis, as needed.
• The re-evaluation of the ToR should occur every five years, in line with progress towards the Sustainable Development Agenda targeting 2030.

ENDNOTES

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[2] Twigg, J. (2020). Global School Safety: Collective Impact Evaluation of the GADRRRES Available at: https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/node/18372/pdf/74312_74312gadrrrescollectiveimpactresear.pdf and Kania, J. & Kramer, M. (2011). Collective impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review.

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[4] United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). (2015). Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. Available at: https://www.undrr.org/publication/sendai-framework-disaster-risk-reduction-2015-2030 See also Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction for Children. Available at: https://www.preventionweb.net/educational/view/46959

[5] United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). (2015). Paris Agreement., Available at: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement

[6] United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2020). Education for sustainable development: a roadmap. Available at: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000374802.locale=en

[7] World Health Organization (WHO). (2016). INSPIRE – Seven Strategies for Ending Violence Against Children. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/inspire-seven-strategies-for-ending-violence-against-children

[8] Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA). (2015). Safe Schools Declaration. Available at: https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/documents_safe_schools_declaration-final.pdf

[9] Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies (2010). Minimum Standards for Education.